Device to level body of a tilted chassis



May 7,1935. WQH. HEISE DEVICE TO LEVEL BODY OF A TILTED CHASSIS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12. 1929 ATTORNEY Q Patented May 7, 1935 PATENT OFFICE I DEVICE TO LEVEL BODY 'OF A TILTED CHASSIS William H. Heise, Los Angeles, Califl, assignor to Big-Rock Ranch Company, a corporationof California.

Los Angeles, Calif.,

Application June 12, 1929, Serial No. 370.427

Claims.

My invention relates to a means for leveling the body of a vehicle which is supported on an in clined surface. v

A deviceof my invention is particularly adapted 5' to hearses of 'the side-loading type in which means is provided for loading a casket into a side of the hearse body. This means consists of a casket-supporting platform which is movable from a retracted position in the hearse body to an extended position, in which position it extends outwardly from the hearse body at right angles to a vertical axis thereof. vWhen sucha hearse is parked adjacenta curb of a crowned street, the'inclinati on of the street" causes the hearse body and the casket-supporting platform to decline to the right. When loading a horizontally carried casket onto the platform, the front end of the casket contacts the platform and interferes with the loading. This is objectionable during funerals as it causes confusion and mars the solemnity of the occasion.

'It is an object of my invention to provide a means'for leveling the body of a vehicle which is supported on a surface inclined to the horizontal. When myinvention is applied to a side-loading hearse, it permits a casket-supporting platform thereof to be leveled so as to facilitate loading of acasket thereon.

It is another object of my invention to provide a means whereby the springs on a vehicle chassis may becompressed or expanded so as to'level the chassisand the vehicle body secured theretos 'It i's'a further object of my invention to provide a leveling means for a vehicle which may be operated from the drivers compartment.-

It is also an object of my invention to provide a leveling device which may be installed on a vehicle without requiring a special construction of the vehicle body or chassis. v

Further objects of my .invention will be evidenced from the ensuing description.

" In" the accompanying drawings in which IIhave Figs .12 and 3iof the 'drawingslshow avehicle chassis" whichgconsists of a frame I I supported on re'silient members intheforni. of springsyaj right, 'rearsp'ring I2 and a Ieftfrear-spring "I3 f i o was being carried on an aide housing I4 supported by wheels I 5, On the chassis I have provided a leveling device of my-invention which consists of an upwardly extending bracket I6 secured to the right side of the axle housing I4 outside of the spring 5 I2. Secured to the upper end of the bracket I6 is a flexible connecting member or cable II which extends downwardly therefrom. Secured to the frame I I "in longitudinal alignment with the bracket I6 is a depending arm I8, the lower end of which extends below the upper end of the bracket I6 and carries a horizontal pinj I9 on which is rotatably carried a pulley 20 in a vertical slot 2I. The cable II passes under the pulley 20 and upwardly inside the frame I I. On the inside of the frame I.I in transverse alignment witlrthe arm I8; is rotatably supported a pulley 22 ;on a horizontal pin 23 which is secured to the frame I Ii The cable I! passes upwardlyand over the pulley 22 and forwardly under a pulley'25 which is retatably carried on a pin supported by the frame forwardly of the pulley 22. Forward of the pulley 25 is a horizontal pulley 2'I rotatably carried on a pin 28 in a yoke 29 resiliently secured to the frame II by a spring 30.

On the left side of the frame II a cable 3I is fastened to a ring 32 secured to the axle housing I4 adjacent the spring I3. 'Thecable 3I passes upwardly and over a pulley 33 which is rotatably supported on a pin 34 secured to the frame I Ion the opposite side and in transverse alignment to the pulley 22. On the frame II on the opposite side fromand in transverse. alignment with the pulley 25 is secured a' pin 35 which rotatably car ries a pulley 36 under which the cable 3I passes. The cable 3I passes forwardly and around a pulley 3I rotatably carried on a pin 38 in a yoke- 39 which is resiliently secured to the frame I l by a spring III attached to the frame II on the opposite side from and in transverse alignment with 40 the spring 30.

The forward ends of cables I1 and 3| pass around a pulley 42 and are connected together to form a continuous cable. The pulley 42 is rotatably supported on a pin 43 carried by a yoke 44 to the forward end of which is secured a cable 45. The cable 45 passes forwardly and is wound around the drum portion of a winch 46 which is I v rotatablysupported on a shaft 48 secured to the frame I I below the driver's compartment. Rigidly 50 secured to the left side of the winch 46 is aratchet wheel 49, teeth 50 of which are engaged by a dog 5| pivotally secured to an operating lever 52 which is rotatably supported on the shaft 48. The upper end of the operating lever 52 extends into the drivers compartment so as to be operable by the driver, and the end thereof is formed into a handle v53. Adjacent the handle 53 is a releasing grip 54 pivotally secured to the'operating lever 52 and connected by a rod 55 to the dog 5|.

To the right side of the winch 46 is rigidly secured a ratchet wheel 51, teeth 58 of which are engaged by a dog 59 rotatably supported by an arm 60 rigidly secured to the shaft 48. An extension of the dog 59 is formed into a releasing handle 6I.

This form of my device is manually operable by the operating lever 52 through the engagementoff the dog 5| with the teeth 50 on the ratchet wheel 49, which rotates the winch so as to wind'up the cable 45 thereon. The winch46 is normally pIB-' vented from unwinding by the engagement of the dog 59 with the teeth 58 on the ratchet wheel 51. The cable 45 may be unwound from the winch by depressing the releasing handle 6| on the-dog 59, thereby disengaging the dog 59 from engages mentwith the teeth 59 of the ratchet wheel 51. This constitutes a well known form of power de-} vice. i V

When the cable 45 is wound on thewinch 46, the yoke 44 and pulley 42. are moved towards the front of the frame II. This exerts'a force on the cables I1 and 3i which, in turn, exert a force on the members to which the ends of the cables I1 and SI are secured. The end'of the cable 3I,' which is secured to the ring' 32, exerts a. tension force between the axle housing I4 and the frame II, which compresses thespring I3 on the left side of the frame II. 'Ihe end of the cable I! which is secured to the upper end of the bracket I6 exerts a tension force between the upper end of the bracket I5 and the pulley 29 which is se-' cured to the lower end of the arm I8.

As the upper end of the'bracket I 56 is positioned above the lower'end of the arm I8, there isproduced an upward force on the arm ISa'nd a downward force on the bracket l6, which expands the spring I2 on the right sideof the frame II.' The result of compressing the spring I3 on the left side of the frame I I and expanding the spring I2 on the right side thereof is to move the left side of the frame II downwardly and theright side thereof upwardly, which inclines the, frame II with respect to the axle housing I4. In case the wheels I5 are supported on a surface which declines to the right, such as the right sideof a crowned street, the chassis of the. vehicle may be leveledby the operation of the device of my invention. The degree of inclination of theframe I I, with respect to'the axle housing I4, is variable so as to be adapted to various inclinations of supporting surfaces and is varied by adjusting the amount of the cable 45 which is reeled on the winch 46.

Fig. 4 shows an alternative form of pbwerf'de' vice in which an electric motor 63 is employed in place of the manually operatedmechanism previously described. The electric motor 83 has a worm gear 64 attached to the motor shaft ,65 which drives a gear lifi secured to the which 46.

All other parts of this form arev identical with those of the preferredform. The electric motor 63 may be controlled by suitable switches .dis-,

The winch 46 and associated operating mech-' anism constitute the power-operating means whereby the flexible connecting members or,

the dottedlines I0. The front end of a horizontally carried casket is shown by dotted lines II as contacting the top of the platform I0, which thus interferes withithelo'ading. When the body 69 is leveledwith a device of my invention, the platform is also leveled and'extends from the body 69, as

shown by the full lines I2. A casket I3 is easily loaded thereon as shown in the drawings.

From the above it will be evident that the device of the present invention includes a frame tilting arrangement associated with the axle which is connected to the frame by the usual yielding or spring suspension means, and it is to be observed that the tilting means includes an elevating cable I I between the axle and one side of the frame and a depressing cable 3| between the axle and the'opposite side of the frame with these cables joined to form a compensating cable loop, an intermediate portion of which is engaged. and pulled by the power means so as to elevate one side of the, frame and simultaneously depress the other side relative to the axle.

Particularly when the power means is released and the tilting means idle; this compensating cable loop may freely see-saw through the several pulleys. This idle movement of the elevating and depressing cables permits'free automatic tilting and rebound of the frame and axle during normal road travel of the vehicle. When the tilting mechanism is operated by the power means, it will be understood that by reason of the compensating cable loopthe powerapplied to the opposite sides ofthe frame and axle will be equalized through this'compensating connection. Thus, while the.

tilting mechanism is at all times connected to the frame and axle and is available for use to tilt the frame to a desired angle, its compensating connection is capable of idle movement, enabling the usual'free automatic action of the sprin suspension incident to road travel.

My device may be installed on a standard vehicle without requiring special factory construction as all parts of the device are fastened to standard parts of the vehicle chassis without requiring the chassis to be modified. My device is'also adapted to incline the vehicle body inother directions'ifrequired, and various other modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

'1 claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle adapted to operate on a supporting surface, ,the'combination of: a frame; a first resilient member secured to one sideof said frame; an opposite resilient member secured to a second sideof said frame; an arm secured at one end to said one side of saidframe, an unattached end of said arm extending beyond said first resilient member; a first flexible connecting member connecting said first resilient member and said unattached end of said arm; a second flexible connecting member connecting opposite side of said frame 3 and said. second resilient member and operating means for producting a force in saidfirst and second flex-- ible connecting members whereby said first resilient member is expanded and said second resilient member is compressed.

2. In a vehicle, the combination of: a frame; a first resilient member secured to one side of said frame; an opposite resilient member secured to an opposite side of said frame; an arm secured at one end to said one side of said frame, having an unattached end thereof extending beyond said first resilient member; a first guiding member secured to said unattached end of said arm; a second guiding member secured to said opposite side of said frame at a point adjacent said second resilient member; and a flexible connecting member having an end thereof connected to said first resilient member and an end thereof connected to said second resilient member, said flexible connecting member being guided by said first and said second guiding members.

3. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame; a first resilient member secured to one side of said frame; a second resilient member secured to an opposite side of said frame; an arm secured at one end to said one side of said frame, having an unattached end thereof extending beyond said first resilient member; a first guiding member secured to said unattached end of said arm; a second guiding member secured to said opposite side of said frame at a point adjacent said second resilient member; a flexible connecting member having an end thereof connected to said first resilient member and an end thereof connected to said second resilient member, said flexible connecting member being guided by said first and said second guiding members; and operating means for producing a force in said flexible connecting means whereby said first resilient member is expanded and said second resilient member is compressed.

4. In a vehicle, the combination of: a body secured to a frame; a platform associated with said body and adapted to be extended laterally therefrom; a wheeled structure including an axle; a first resilient member secured to one side of said frame and supporting one side of said frame on said wheeled structure; a second resilient member secured to the opposite side of said frame and supporting that side of said frame on said wheeled structure; an arm attached to said frame adjacent said first resilient member; a first flexible connecting member flexible throughout its length connecting said axle and said arm;

5. A combination as described in claim 4 in which said arm depends beyond said first resilient member.

6. In a vehicle adapted to operate on a supporting surface, the combination of a frame; a first resilient member secured to one side of said frame; a second resilientmember secured to an opposite side of said frame, said resilient members supporting said frame on an axle; an arm secured at one end to one side of said frame, an unattached end of said arm extending beyond said first resilient member; a first flexible connecting member connecting said axle and said unattached end of said arm; a second flexible.

connecting member connecting said opposite side of said frame and axle; and power means adapted to operate said flexible members to transaxially tilt'said frame.

7. A combination as described in claim 6 in which said arm depends below said first resilient member.

8. A combination as described in claim 6 in I 15 which said power means comprises a mechanically rotateddrum adapted to'increase or decrease the tension in said flexible members.-

9. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame adapted to support a body by providing a structure to which the body may be secured; an axle adapted to provide a friction reducing support for said frame by providing means upon which wheels may be carried; two springs, one situated on one side of said frame and theoth'er situated on the other side ofsaid frame, said springs being each adapted to provide a resilient support between said axle and said frame by suitable connections between said axle and said frame; a cable adapted to change the position of said frame with relation to said axle by drawing one side of said frame towards said axle and forcing the other side of said frame away from said axle; a pulley through which said cable passes, said pulley being adapted to put a tension on said cable by applying a force to the portion of the cable passing through said pulley; and means by which an operator can change the position of said frame with relation to said axle by changing the force so applied by said pulley to said cable.

10. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame adapted 'to support a body by providing a structure to which the body may be secured; an axle adapted to provide a friction reducing support for said frame by providing means upon which Wheels may be'carried; two springs, one situated on one side of said frame'and the other situated on the other side of said frame, said springs being each adapted to provide a resilient support between said axle and said frame by suitable'connections between said axle and said frame; a cable adapted to change the position of said frame with relation to said axle by drawing one side of said frame towards said axle and forcing the other side of .said frame away from said axle; a pulley through which said cable passes, said pulley being adapted to put a tension on said cable by applying a force to the portion of the cable passing through said pulley; means by which an operator can change the position of said frame with relation to said axle by changing the force so applied by said pulley to said cable; and locking means controlled by an operator and adapted to lock said frame in position with relation to said axle by locking said pulley in any position to which it may be moved.

WILLIAM H. HEISE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,000,229. May 7, 1935.

WILLIAM H. HEISE.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 65, ciaim l, for "an opposite" read a second; and line 66, of said claim, for "a second" read an opposite; and page 3, first coiumn, line 6, claim 2, for "an opposite" read a second; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of June, A. D. 1935.

Bryan M. Battey (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

